Directing and communicating data to a flight management system

Abstract

A system and method for compiling and converting Aeronautical Radio Incorporated (ARINC) 424 or Digital Aeronautical Flight Information File (DAFIF) files into a binary database. The system and method include a controller module for receiving, extracting, converting, performing a set of quality checks, and directing the output or communication of the binary database to a remote server. The remote server can include a controller module that can verify validity of the communicated binary database and create aircraft loadable media for a flight management system navigational database.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for navigation database interaction, the method comprising:
 receiving, at a controller module, a set of navigation databases, each navigation database including a digital signature;   automatically determining, by the controller module, a validity of the digital signature;   in response to the determining the digital signature is valid, controlling, by the controller module, accessing the data records for the set of navigation databases; and   creating, by the controller module, aircraft loadable media for a flight management system based on the set of navigation databases.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising automatically identifying duplicative or invalid instances of information in independent fields, interrelated fields, interrelated records, or support data from the set of navigation databases. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the duplicative or the invalid instances of information are determined by the controller module recursively comparing the independent fields, interrelated fields, interrelated records, and support data. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the set of navigation databases includes multiple disparate navigation databases comprising at least two cycles of information for a flight management system of an aircraft. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the set of navigation databases includes multiple disparate navigation databases comprising at least two cycles of information for a flight management system of an aircraft and further comprising comparing a data record between the at least two cycles of information. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising determining one of a sameness or a differentness of data records and providing an indication of the sameness or the differentness. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the determining the sameness or a differentness includes determining an overall change statistic between a first database and a second database. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the indication includes a display of a side-by-side comparison with differences highlighted. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising creating, by the controller module, a reference database containing previously validated data records. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising determining one of a sameness or a differentness of a data record between the reference database and the received set of navigation databases. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the reference database further comprises history information for a data record including at least user-provided comments and date stamp for entry updates. 
     
     
         12 . A method for navigation database interaction, the method comprising:
 receiving, at a controller module, a set of navigation databases, each navigation database including a digital signature;   automatically determining, by the controller module, a validity of the digital signature before accessing data records of a corresponding database of the set of navigation databases;   in response to the digital signature having validity, controlling, by the controller module, an accessing the data records for the set of navigation databases;   creating, by the controller module, a reference database containing previously validated data records; and   determining one of a sameness or a differentness of data records between two navigation databases in the set of navigation databases and providing an indication of the sameness or the differentness.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the two navigation databases in the set of navigation databases comprises two cycles of information for a flight management system of an aircraft and wherein duplicative or invalid instances of information are found over multiple disparate navigation databases. 
     
     
         14 . A system adapted to interact with a navigation database, to perform the steps of:
 receiving a set of navigation databases, each navigation database including a digital signature;   automatically determining a validity of the digital signature before accessing data records of a corresponding database of the set of navigation databases;   based on the determining, controlling access of the data records for the set of navigation databases;   determining one of a sameness or a differentness of data records between two navigation databases in the set of navigation databases and providing an indication of the sameness or the differentness;   allowing access and revisions to the data records for the set of navigation databases; and   creating aircraft loadable media for a flight management system based on the set of navigation databases.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14  wherein duplicative or the invalid instances of information is recursively identified in independent fields, interrelated fields, interrelated records, or support data of the two navigational databases. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15  wherein the two navigation databases in the set of navigation databases comprises two cycles of information for a flight management system of an aircraft and wherein the duplicative or the invalid instances of information are found over the two navigation databases. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14  wherein the set of navigation databases includes multiple disparate navigation databases comprising at least two cycles of information for a flight management system of an aircraft and further comprising comparing a data record between the at least two cycles. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising determining one of a sameness or a differentness of data records and providing an indication of the sameness or the differentness. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17  wherein the determining the sameness or a differentness includes determining an overall change statistic between a first database and a second database or wherein the indication includes a display of a side-by-side comparison with differences highlighted. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising creating a reference database containing previously validated data records and determining one of a sameness or a differentness of a data record between the reference database and the received set of navigation databases.